Lushootseed Dictionary

Alphabetical Order and Guide to
Pronunciation. Lushootseed is written here in the
manner familiar from published work by Hess and
Hilbert. Each symbol has a single sound value, as in a
phonemic alphabet, but some prefixes, suffixes and
roots are written consistently even when slight
changes occur in their pronunciation; the system is
thus a morphophonemic writing system. The sound
values are described in order below; phonetic
descriptions appear in [square brackets].

? This symbol is called the "glottal stop" and it
represents the catch in the throat in the middle of the
English word Uh-oh.

a This symbol is usually pronounced like the a m father
and occasionally like the a in or. When unstressed, a
is pronounced a. [bw back unrounded vowel]

b The symbol b is pronounced veiy much like English b
in baby, [voiced bilabial stop]

b' This rare sound does not begin words in
Lushootseed; the symbol is called "glottahzed b" and it
sounds like English b combined with a glottal stop,
[voiced bilabial stop with glottal stricture]

C This Lushootseed symbol has a very different value
than it does in English; it sounds like the ts at the end
o(cats. [voiceless alveolar affricate]

c' This common sound is a Lushootseed c combined
with a glottal stop; the symbol is called a "glottalized
c". Air gets trapped between the throat and the tip of
the tongue, and then released with a popping sound,
[voiceless ejective alveolar affricate]

i This symbol, called "c-wedge", represents a
Lushootseed sound like the English sound usually
spelled chf as in church, [voiceless palatal affricate]

V This "glottalized c-wedge" is a combination of glottal
stop and d, released with the same popping sound as
c'. [voiceless ejective palatal affricate]

d This symbol and the sound it represents correspond
to English d quite closely, [voiced alveolar stop]

d^ This symbol is called "d-raised-z" and sounds like the
ds in kids, [voiced alveolar affricate]

9 This symbol is called Vhwa". Many monolingual
English dictionaries use it to represent the vowel
sound in the words but and of^ and the first sound of
around, [mid central vowel]

g Lushootseed g is always pronounced like the English
g in good and guess, never like the g in giant, [voiced
velar stop]

g* This symbol is called "g-raised-w" and represents ag
pronounced with the lips pursed, like thegvv in Gwen.
[voiced labialized velar stop]

h This sound is like English h in happy, [voiceless
glottal glide]

i E>epending on the sounds surrounding it, this
Lushootseed vowel can be pronounced like the vowels
in beet or bait, [non-low front unrounded vowel]

j This symbol is called "j-wedge" and sounds like those
beginning the English words giant and jay, [voiced
palatal affricate]

k The English k which starts and ends kick is similar to
Lushootseed k. [voiceless velar stop]

k' Lushootseed k can combine with a glottal stop to
make a popping sound called a ''glottalized k".
[voiceless ejective velar stop]

k^ Like English qit, the "k-raised-w" is a /: with the lips
pursed, as in quick, [voiceless labialized velar stop]

k'^ Combining k^ and k'y the "glottalized k-raised-w" is
a popping noise made with pursed Ups. [voiceless
labialized ejective velar stop]

I Lushootseed / is like English / in Hve and unlike
English / in feel, [lateral alveolar liquid]

V This is the "strictured 1". Since it does not begin
words in Lushootseed, there is no dictionary chapter
for it. It sounds something like the / in the word feel;
constriction in the throat results in a rumbling sound,
[laryngealized lateral alveolar liquid]

4- This sound is similar to a whispered / or a lisp; air
flows down one or both sides of the tongue. The
symbol is called a "barred-l". [voiceless lateral alveolar
fricative]

X' The "glottalized barred-lambda" sound is similar to a
clicking sound some English speakers use to call
horses, except that the English sound brings air into
the mouth, while Lushootseed k* moves trapped air
out of the mouth along the side of the tongue and is
quieter, k' sounds like r/, not like kl, [voiceless
ejective lateral alveolar affricate]

m The symbol m sounds like English m in mother. In
Lushootseed, m only appears as a replacement for b
in certain special words and speech styles; see Thompson
and Thompson (1973). [bilabial nasal]

m' The "strictured m" is a variant of the rare m sound
with throat tension like i\ [laryngeaUzed bilabial nasal]

n The symbol n sounds like the n in night. This sound
only appears as a replacement for d in certain special
words and speech styles, [alveolar nasal]

n' The "strictured n" is a variant of the rare n sound
with throat tension like /*. [laryngealized alveolar
nasal]

p Lushootseed /7 is like English/? in pop. [voiceless
bilabial stop]

p' The "glottalized p" combines a glottal stop and ap to
trap air in the mouth, which is then released with a
popping noise, [voiceless ejective bilabial stop]

q Sometimes called an "Indian k", this sound is made
further back in the mouth than k. [voiceless uvular
stop]

q' The "glottalized q" combines the glottal stop with q,
releasing with a popping noise, [voiceless ejective
uvular stop]

q* The "q-raised-w" purses the lips during q. [voiceless
labialized uvular stop]

q'* The "gbttalized q-raised-w" combines q' and ^* for
a popping "Indian k" with pursed hps. [voiceless
ejective labialized uvular stop]

S This symbol has approximately the same value in
Enghsh and Lushootseed. [voiceless alveolar fricative]

5 The "s-wedge" symbol represents a sound like the
English sh in ship, [voiceless palatal fricative]

t This symbol corresponds to English t in tote, [voiceless
alveolar stop]

t' The "glottalized t" traps air in the mouth with a glottal
stop and releases it into a popping t. [voiceless ejective
alveolar stop]

U Depending on the sounds around it, this symbol can
represent the vowels in the English words boot and
boat, [rounded non-low back vowel]

w This symbol represents a sound like English w in
work, [high back rounded ghde]

w* The "strictured w" is a variant of w with throat
tension like /'. [laryngealized high back rounded glide]

X^ This symbol, often called "x-w", sounds vaguely like
someone blowing out a candle; a bit like wh in h^ic/i
(when it is pronounced differently from wtVc/i), but
more raspy. The lips are pursed, and the tongue is in
approximately the same position as for making k.
[voiceless labialized velar fricative]

X This symbol, called an "x-wedge", is sometimes written
with a lowered dot replacing the wedge: ^ The sound
is like /i, but much more raspy. The tongue is in
approximately the same position as for making q.
[voiceless uvular fricative]

X* The "rounded x-wedge" purses the lips during i.
[voiceless labialized uvular fricative]

y This sound is approximately the same as English y in
yellow and yes. [high front unrounded glide]

y' The "strictured y" is a variant ofy with throat tension
like r. [laryngealized high front unrounded glide]

LUSHOOTSEED
DICTIONARY

LUSHOOTSEED
DICTIONARY

Dawn Bates

Thorn Hess

Vi Hubert

Dedicated to
Laurence C. Thompson

whose insights and support provided a firm foundation
for the study of Lushootseed

Edited by Dawn Bates

University of Washington Press

Seattle and London

Lushootseed Dictionary is completely reformatted and greatly revised and expanded
update of Dictionary of Paget Salish by Thom Hess (University of Washington Press,
1976). Royalties from the sale of Lushootseed Dictionary will defray publication
costs and fund further work of Lushootseed Research.

Copyright © 1994 by Lushootseed Research
Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
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or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
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ISBN 0-295-97323-4

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Map by Laura Dassow